Robin Williams' enduring influence on comedians

Aug. 13, 2014
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A picture taken on Jan. 31, 1994, in Boulogne-Billancourt, ouside Paris, shows Robin Williams taking part in the broadcast news of French TV channel TF1. Oscar-winning actor and comedian Robin Williams was found dead at his home in California from suspected suicide, police said on Aug. 12, 2014. / Joel Robine, AFP/Getty Images

by Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY

by Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY

Tributes to Robin Williams continue to pour in as people remember his manic humor, gentle spirit and the beloved cast of characters he created. Here are just a few of the many comedians and actors who say they've been inspired by his work:

Paul F. Tompkins

The Comedy Bang! Bang! actor posted a moving tribute to Williams on his website (paulftompkins.com) Monday, expressing how the comic's Reality ... What a Concept was one of the first comedy albums he ever owned and how he grew up watching Williams' TV sitcom Mork & Mindy. "When I was a kid, having problems of my own, feeling unpleasantly different from the people who populated my world, I found sanctuary watching this guy on TV who was celebrated for being a weirdo, for being an oddball, for being silly," Tompkins wrote. As he grew up and began performing stand-up comedy, Tompkins came to learn that there is "no less sadness in the comedy community than there is in any other workforce; that is to say, jobs are jobs and people are people and no occupation makes anyone depression-proof."

Louis C.K.

Williams is remembered for the melancholy and humanity he brought to his comedy routines and film performances, a sensibility that Louis C.K. taps into on his critically adored FX comedy series, Louie. For that reason, it's no surprise that Williams considered himself a fan - he called C.K. a "combination of (George) Carlin and Richard Pryor" - and appeared in the Season 3 Louie episode "Barney/Never," where he meets Louie at a funeral for a comedy-club manager and the two bond over how much they hated the guy.

Jimmy Fallon

Joining the legions of stars who expressed their condolences on Twitter, Fallon tweeted early Tuesday: "Took a walk in NYC this morning under a tree-lined street. Perfect breeze. Looked like it was raining flowers. I know that was you Robin." In his years on Saturday Night Live, the Tonight Show host echoed Williams' effortless ability to take on whatever kooky character was thrown his way. One such character was playing Williams himself in a Celebrity Jeopardy parody with Will Ferrell.

Josh Gad

In an op-ed article for USA TODAY, the Frozen actor jokes of how he learned "unique words for male and female genitalia" from the Comic Relief charity specials Williams hosted with Whoopi Goldberg and Billy Crystal. More important, Gad writes, the comic genius of Williams' Genie in the animated film Aladdin inspired him to become an actor and directly influenced his voice performance as Olaf the snowman in Frozen. "Olaf will never remotely touch the tour de force that is Robin's Genie. Because there is only one Robin Williams," Gad writes. "But the joy and laughter that my little snowman has brought to children is because of the man who has left this world far too early."

Marc Maron

The stand-up comic and popular podcast host paid respects to Williams on his WTF With Marc Maron podcast Monday, airing an interview he had with the late comedian in April 2010 and adding an introduction addressing his suicide. "When Robin Williams invited me to his home in 2010, that conversation is what defined the show from that point on, and what defined my life in a lot of ways," Maron said. He later added that he learned not only about Williams, but about being there for other people as well. "He was a person. With his own problems. That he carried with him. And I think part of his genius came from the struggle with those problems, obviously. â?¦ The world is going to feel his absence, certainly right now, but moving forward as well."

Jim Carrey

The elastic expressions, unabashed goofiness, and ability to jump in and out of characters - many parallels can be drawn between Carrey's and Williams' brands of comedy, perhaps best on display in his early impersonation of the actor's Mork & Mindy character, the alien Mork.